When I first met Ali and Jamie, I could sense immediately that they were a delightful and relaxed couple. Ali was referred to me by Kate and Michael, and I was so excited to see them again at the wedding. The summer months came quickly, and it was not too long ago that I was with Ali and Jamie on their engagement session. We were dashing about Central Park without paying the strictest attention to the park ordinances that can interfere with getting good shots ;)
It was no surprise that they picked the Mamaroneck Beach as their venue. Taking a day off and going to a Yacht Club adjoining LI Sound, is almost synonymous with enjoying life- whether to go boating, eat by the water, or just to enjoy each other’s company as the sun casts its soft colors upon the horizon and the cool breezes caress. It is a great pleasure when a wedding can feel like the simple extension of just a lovely day spent together. There was nothing over the top – only unadorned romance at its finest – with a couple equally at ease whether formally walking down the aisle to wed or merely walking barefoot down the boat docks.
As a photographer, I really feel the nuances of my couple’s love. I try not to see just a hug or a kiss, but to truly sense its strength or passion. Ali and Jamie are deeply in love, of course, and no doubt on many levels. However, in my quest to understand and capture some fundamental and inevitably unique elements of that connection, I was most drawn perhaps to two things. The first was the way Jamie makes Alison laugh. She crumbles at his every remark, and he is equally enlivened by her appreciation of his humor. The second is the absolutely adoring way that she gazes up, in his protective arms, in admiration, paired with his dream-like downward gaze and the knowledge he is cradling something worth protecting.
Ali kindly sent their story, in her own words, below:
The Story of Jamie & Ali
It was Jamie’s birthday and they happened to be attending the same Halloween party. He was dressed as Goose, from Top Gun, and she was a doctor in big baggy scrubs.
The story of their first interaction was a short one. Jamie was passing by and overheard Ali saying, “I win the award for the least sexy costume”. She laughed and smiled, they locked eyes, and then he kept on walking. But, that was all it took for them to become mesmerized with each other.
Ali didn’t know why, but she knew she had to go talk to Jamie. So she finished her conversation and headed out to the porch, where he ended up. She didn’t really know what to say, so she simple introduced herself. They ended up talking for a while and found out they had a lot in common. They both thought that there might be something special about this person.
Alas, Jamie was headed to one party and Ali was headed to another. Jamie tried hard to convince her to go with him, but to no avail. However, he did ask for her number so they could meet up later that night, which they did. They eventually left their respective parties to meet up and ended up dancing the night away.
That was the start of Jamie & Ali living and dancing happily ever after…
The Proposal
Jamie had thought of a few different ways to propose to Ali, but all those thoughts went right out the window when he received the ring. It was Friday, November 4th and Jamie was at a work event when he received an email from his apartment building alerting him that he had received a package. He knew it was the ring. He immediately texted Ali to say he was going to swing by and pick her up to go to his place. Only one problem, how was he going to get the package without Ali asking what it was? He tried to play it cool when they got to his apartment and said he was hungry and was going to run and get a sandwich, but Ali said she’d go for the walk with him. Jamie was frustrated, but knew he couldn’t tell her no. After sandwiches, they went back upstairs and he tried another idea, he told her he needed cold pills (even though he didn’t) and that he was going to run down to CVS. Ali started to offer to go, but he told her to just sit back and relax, he’d be back in a minute. Ali agreed and didn’t think much of it. Jamie went downstairs, retrieved the package, and realized he couldn’t wait to propose and that he was going to ask that night. How? He wasn’t quite sure, but it was going to happen. Jamie’s roommate came home shortly after he decided he was going to propose and brought a bunch of friends with him. Again, Jamie was frustrated because loud music and a bunch of people in the apartment didn’t make for a romantic proposal. So he impatiently waited. Finally, Ali and Jamie crawled into bed and were having their nightly chat. Ali happened to put her left hand on his chest as they were talking. Jamie out of the blue asked Ali “Do you still want to keep me forever?” Ali simply replied “Yes, why?” At that point Jamie slowly slid the ring onto her finger and asked “Will you marry me?” Ali screamed “Really?! YES!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Our love
We complete each other in every sense. We keep our love strong with honesty and openness and also by laughing, dancing, and smiling. We are feisty with each other and make most things into a competition. We are always ourselves and no matter how silly we get we laugh. We find a way to love and laugh every day. We are looking forward to our wedding with so much excitement and happiness. We can’t wait to celebrate our big day with our family and friends. Most of all we can’t wait to start our new journey together hand in hand as husband and wife.
I was so happy to receive an appreciative email from Alison after she watched the slideshow that I sent her. Her kind words really made me happy and made all the hard work worth it. :)
“Hi Shira, Thank you so much for being a part of our day capturing every moment. We just got back from our honeymoon and the slideshow was the best present to come home to! You are an amazing photographer and really captured every moment. I can’t wait to see all the photos, the slideshow is an amazing preview. xoxo, Ali”
Vendor List-
Venue: Mamaroneck Beach and Yacht Club
Florist: Laila’s Flowers
Band: 74 Events
Invitations: Christina D’Asaro Design
Cake: DiMare Pastry
Hair: Kristan Serafino
Make-Up: Robbie Minjarez from Bobby Brown
Dress: Anne Barge
Shoes: Jean-Michel Enzabat
by admin